The present invention relates to gas sustained vehicles, and in a broad concept to vehicles that are gas or air supported and dirigible either adjacent to or remote from a reaction surface.
One preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a combustion engine powered vehicle adapted to operate slightly above a reaction surface. Being spaced from such surface the vehicle does not depend upon surface condition for support and can operate over soil, water, marsh, snow, etc. In fact, as will appear more fully below, the vehicle will operate more economically over rough terrain than over smooth terrain because of resistance to gas flow caused by surface roughness. In the following specification this vehicle will be referred to as "aeromobile".
Present automobiles are restricted in operation by several conditions. Roads comprise one major condition including several ancillary conditions such as snow, mud, ice, etc. that limit satisfactory use. Automobiles have little or no utility away from roads. The maximum speed attainable by present vehicles is restricted to practicable strength of tires, springs, and other essential parts.
The "aeromobile" herein disclosed is borne upon a layer of compressed gas such as air and the products of combustion of an engine, turbine, or the like.
The "aeromobile" permits use of a different kind of road that will center the vehicle in a lane. The road is grooved and the "aeromobile" equipped with front and rear baffles or other means conforming to the transverse curvature of the groove. When driving along a groove the operator will exercise no control except to accelerate, stop, or move laterally to another groove for passing.
Other modifications of the invention are useful in boats, aircraft, trucks, pallet transporters, crop sprayers, and others. In each of these the same principles of sustentation and control are utilized. Because the vehicle is supported during operation upon a volume of compressed gas, it is preferable to fabricate parts from materials having a favorable weight to strength ratio. The properties of such materials are well known and hence all combinations of specific materials will not be recited in the following specification.
In keeping with the teachings hereof, the basic vehicle comprises a frame having gas inlet and outlet openings. The outlet may comprise several controlled outlet portions to render the vehicle dirigible. A compressor forces gas between the bottom of the vehicle and the surface to float same about the surface. For practical purposes it is preferred that the volume of the gas be variable to support the vehicle at sufficient distance above the surface to clear ordinary road obstacles (6 inches for example) and to provide large volumes for jumping large obstacles.
Although the construction of the vehicle may be any of the popular known types of ground effects vehicles, including those specifically referred to above, the vehicle may also desirably be of the type having gimbal or other universal-mounted ducted fans which may be used in combination with a floor or deck surface to direct flow into the plenum beneath the vehicle floor deck and also to direct a portion of the air in any direction desired above the deck, and to divide such flow in any desired proportion as is easily permitted by such construction, i.e., to use large or small proportions of the total air flow for propulsion and considering control or for sustenance. Certain of the roadways of the invention are described in connection with vehicles of this type, and such vehicles possessing outstanding versatility for other uses without sacrifice of the ability to perform with the roadways of the invention.
Now that the ground effect vehicle has proven practical for certain basic applications, such as for transportation across generally flat surfaces, such as bodies of water and has proven practical for certain recreational uses, more serious attention has been given to the possibility of achieving much greater utility of these vehicles, so that certain of their advantages may be best utilized.
In this connection, it will be appreciated that a ground effect vehicle is perhaps second in potential ride comfort and stability to an aircraft, inasmuch as it floats on a cushion of confined air and in the event that surface irregularities are encountered, the vehicle has an excellent capability of smoothing out the bumps because of the relation of its inertial character and the manner in which it is suspended. Thus, as a reaction vehicle, it tends to attain equilibrium at a certain height above a surface beneath it and with air flow conditions constant, to maintain this position. Unlike wheeled or tracked vehicles, the air cushion vehicle has no unsprung weight to transfer impact and reaction levels to the vehicle, and thus the air cushioned vehicle is not disturbed by wheel imbalance, suspension oscillation, the gyroscopic reactions, etc. Accordingly, the potential of such vehicles for smooth ride is considerable.
Another clear advantage of many ground effect machines is that they may be propelled by a direct reaction rather than through a complex power train, and accordingly, such vehicles, which display minimum frictional displacement in their elevated and sustained condition, ordinarily achieve fairly high speeds in relation to applied power as aircraft, wind resistance. Other induced contact is the primary resistance to propulsion, and although ground effect vehicles may require a certain amount of power to remain airborne even when not moving forward or backward, the amount of power required for sustenance does not increase as speeds increase, while, in automobiles, trucks, and the like, rolling friction may be significant, particularly in the case of heavy vehicles.
Another important advantage of the air cushion or ground effect vehicle is that such vehicles do not necessarily require a roadway, and, under proper conditions, may operate over water, sand, or swamp terrain. Improvements made in the flexible skirts which define the periphery of the plenum or chamber which supports the vehicle have rendered these vehicles more versatile than certain air cushion vehicles which were proposed some time ago.
Referring now to certain of the drawbacks inherently associated with air cushion vehicles, many of which have not been overcome to date, it is acknowledged that, by reason of being supported with a minimum of friction, such vehicles tend to rotate by their own vertical axis if unstabilized and such units also tend to slide or coast down in declivities so that it is difficult to propel the vehicle along a desired course where such course goes up, down, or across hills and valleys. Thus, although the vehicle will remain spaced apart from the surface beneath it, the vehicle requires application of strong propulsion and controling forces to avoid sliding down inclined surfaces.
Even where there are few or minimal elevational contours on the surface over which the vehicles pass, turning or other guiding of the vehicle tends to become inaccurate and vague, much like that of an aircraft or helicopter near the stalling speed. Such characteristics are inconsistent with broad-based use of air cushion vehicles. In summer, therefore, it might be said that air cushion vehicles are very effective in lifting themselves a short and definite distance above a support and reaction surface and are easily able to be moved rapidly without using excess power. However, such vehicles are very poor and climbing or descending in the ordinary sense and lack precise control which is afforded vehicles such as automobiles and trains which are required to travel at moderate speeds, in densely populated areas in excellent conditions of safety. The present invention is directed to the construction and operation of air cushion vehicles within especially constructed tracks or guideways, to the construction of such guideways, and to the provision of such guideways at minimum cost in order to utilize the best features of the vehicles.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an air supported vehicle adapted for dirigible translations.
A second object of the invention is to provide manual control mechanism for a vehicle as set forth in the first object.
A further object is to provide a novel road and an air supported vehicle for operation on said road.
A still further object of the invention is to provide auxiliary controls for augmenting the function of the control mechanism set forth in the second object.
Another object of the invention is to provide structure for transporting passengers and adapted to be air sustained at least partially by aerodynamics forces resulting from translation.
Still another object is to provide a road system particularly adapted for use with ground effect vehicles.
A further object is to provide a combination road and guidance system for air-sustained vehicles of the air cushion type.
Still another object of the invention is to provide roadways for air cushion vehicles wherein the roadways have specially designed characteristics designed to eliminate dust and dirt and to provide a stabilized configuration at minimum cost.
A still further object is to provide improved road and control systems for controllable air cushion vehicles, including road systems adapted to assist in controlling the flow of air cushion vehicle traffic.
Yet another object is to provide specialized roads designed to assist air cushion vehicles in ascending and descending grades, including grades traversing various hills and other geographic formations.
Another object is to provide means for adapting existing rights-of-way to air cushion vehicle travel, and particularly to means for modifying existing rights-of-way so as to facilitate control as well as passage of the vehicles.
Still another object is to provide specially constructed air cushion vehicles which are adapted to conform at least in part to the contour of roads over which vehicles pass, and which constructions also facilitate control of the vehicle in various maneuvers, such as switching and turning.
Another object of the invention is to provide a basic roadway configuration which is adapted for use on the surface of the earth over various substrate such as earth, water, and the like, which is also suitable for passage through or under ground or water.
Another object is to provide road and guidance systems which are simple to manufacture and easy to maintain.
Still another object is to provide an air cushion vehicle which includes a principal plenum chamber for supporting the vehicle above a reaction surface, and which includes one or more auxiliary chambers lying laterally to either side of the principal chamber, with means being provided to alter the configuration and air capacity of the auxiliary chambers.
Another object is to provide an air cushion vehicle having principal and auxiliary air support plenums, with the auxiliary plenums lying laterally outwardly of the main plenum with the vehicle having means affording communication of support air between the various plenums as well as means for retracting or altering the shape of the lateral chambers.
Another object is to provide means for retracting or altering the shape of the lateral chambers.
Another object is to provide a ground effect or air cushion vehicle having a peripheral skirt generally beneath the deck portion of the vehicle, defining a principal air chamber and having one or more auxiliary skirts lying laterally of the principal chamber, with means being provided to adjust the position of the auxiliary skirt so as to cause the bottom of the vehicle to conform to an existing contoured roadway, as well as to permit operation of the vehicle away from such roadway.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an air cushion vehicle having a specially controured skirt portion, thereby adapting the plenum or support chamber to be supported centrally within a chamber having a cross section of a predetermined contour.
Still another object is to provide a vehicle and roadway combining one or more of the features referred to herein in various combinations including those referred to elsewhere herein.
The invention achieves these objects, and others which are inherent in the invention, by providing a vehicle having expressly designed plenums, specially designed guidance systems, and by providing a stable roadway of predetermined contours adapted to facilitate longitudinal movement of the vehicle, as well as control thereof for turning, switching, and for changing elevation during ascending or descending maneuvers.
The manner in which these and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved in practice will become more apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention set forth by way of example and shown in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout.